SFWSC is the largest international spirits competition in the United States. Judging is blind and done by a prestigious panel of nationally recognized spirits judges, each selected for their distinct and trusted palate. With two decades of experience, the SFWSC has become one of the most respected competitions in the world.

“We’re incredibly grateful that several of our batches were recognized at this prestigious competition including top honors in the bourbon category,” said Company Founder Joe Beatrice. “Our goal is to become the most creative, forward-thinking, and progressive whiskey blenders in the nation. That means we push the creative envelope every day, exploring opportunities to source and blend outside the box, and showcase the world’s most exciting spirits. These recent batches represent the constant evolution and depth and dimension of our Bourbon and Rye Whiskeys.”

The Winners:

Barrell Bourbon Batch 021 – a wonderfully autumnal bourbon blended using a selection of 10 to 14-year-old barrels, built on a dry toasty backbone with hints of butter and fruit layered in for complexity and contrast.

Barrell Bourbon Batch 020 – blended from a selection of barrels from Tennessee and Kentucky, starting with 10-year-old barrels exhibiting a lush, prominent fruit profile, and balanced with 14-year-old oak-forward barrels, resulting in a complex bourbon with an engaging brightness.

Barrell Rye Batch 003 – a blend of rye whiskeys from Indiana, Poland, Tennessee and Canada, all with distinct personalities and varying ages.

Barrell Bourbon Batch 022 – a marriage of two separate and iconic styles of Bourbon: classily dry and woody Kentucky Bourbon, and floral, herbaceous, and sweet Indiana Bourbon. The final blend was constructed from four separate lots, each with its own nuanced family of flavors.

Founded in 2013, BCS selects and blends products that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, and bottles them at cask strength. The company’s extensive stocks of high-quality casks means it can craft extraordinary blends and creative finishes that maximize the nuances of each ingredient. Every batch is produced as a limited release and has a distinct flavor profile.

At the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, BCS won “Best Small Batch Bourbon over 11 years old” (Barrell Bourbon Batch 018) as well as three Double Golds. In previous years, it captured the 2017 “Best Bourbon” and “Best Small Batch Bourbon,” (Barrell Bourbon Batch 011) and “Best Over Proof Rum” (Barrell Rum Batch 001).

Barrell Craft Spirits is an independent blender and bottler of unique aged, cask-strength sourced whiskey and rum spirits, that is recognized for its blending expertise. The company selects and blends products that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, and bottles them at cask strength. Every batch is produced as a limited release and has a distinct flavor profile.